U.S. patent number 6,085,902 [Application Number 09/212,673] was granted by the patent office on 2000-07-11 for article transport and organizer.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Olympia Industrial, Inc.. Invention is credited to Liping Fang.
United States Patent |
6,085,902 |
Fang |
July 11, 2000 |
Article transport and organizer
Abstract
An article transport and organizer which can conveniently be
used either as a tote bag for transport and storage of small
articles or alternatively can be used in connection with an empty
container such as a five-gallon bucket for the transport and
storage of larger articles as well as for the transport of smaller
articles and tools. The apparatus includes a removable shoulder
strap that can be used to conveniently transport the apparatus when
it is being used as a tote bag. The inner and outer skirt-like
walls of the apparatus are provided with a plurality of
spaced-apart pockets which are adapted to receive and organize hand
tools and other small articles. Easy-to-operate zipper mechanisms
are provided for interconnecting together the lower margins of the
outer skirt-like walls so as to convert the apparatus from a bucket
organizer into a tote bag.
Inventors: |
Fang; Liping (City of Industry,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Olympia Industrial, Inc. (City
of Industrial, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
22792007 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/212,673 |
Filed: |
December 16, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/373; 220/694;
220/735; 383/39; 383/67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25H
3/00 (20130101); A45C 13/02 (20130101); A45C
3/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45C
13/00 (20060101); A45C 13/02 (20060101); B25H
3/00 (20060101); A45C 3/00 (20060101); B65D
085/20 (); B65D 030/22 (); B65D 033/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/372,373
;383/38-40,67 ;220/694,735,212 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gehman; Bryon P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brunton, Esq.; James E.
Claims
I claim:
1. An article storage device receivable over a container having an
exterior wall and an interior wall which is generally circular in
cross section at any point, the walls terminating in an upper rim
portion, said device comprising:
(a) a first downwardly depending flexible wall, said wall having an
upper margin and a lower margin and having an interior surface and
an exterior surface, said first wall being receivable interiorly of
the container with said upper margin thereof disposed proximate
said upper rim portion of the container;
(b) a second flexible wall having an upper margin and a lower
margin, said upper margin of said second wall being connected to
said upper margin of said first wall, said second wall having an
interior surface and an exterior surface, said second wall
cooperating with said first wall to define a top opening, said
lower margin of said second wall defining a bottom opening said
second wall being receivable over the upper rim portion of the
container so as to circumscribe the exterior surface of the
container; and
(c) closure means for closing said bottom opening to form a top
open article receiving chamber.
2. An article storage device as defined in claim 1 in which said
first downwardly depending wall is provided with a plurality of
article receiving pockets.
3. An article storage device as defined in claim 1 in which said
second wall is provided with a plurality of article receiving
pockets.
4. An article storage device as defined in claim 1 in which said
device further includes a carrying strap interconnected with one of
the said first and second walls.
5. An article storage device as defined in claim 1 in which said
closure means comprises a zipper.
6. An article storage device receivable over a container having an
exterior wall and an interior wall which is generally circular in
cross section at any point, the walls terminating in an upper rim
portion, said device comprising:
(a) a first downwardly depending of a first length, said wall
having an upper margin and a lower margin and having an interior
surface and an exterior surface, said first wall being receivable
interiorly of the container with said upper margin thereof in
engagement with the upper rim portion of the container;
(b) a second wall having an upper margin and a lower margin, said
upper margin of said second wall being connected to said upper
margin of said first wall, said lower margin of said second wall
defining an opening, said second wall being of a second length
greater than said first length and having an interior surface and
an exterior surface, said second wall being receivable over the
upper rim portion of the container so as to circumscribe the
exterior surface of the container; and
(c) closure means for closing said opening.
7. An article storage device as defined in claim 6 further
including a first panel interconnected with said exterior surface
of said second wall
and a second panel interconnected with said first panel in an
overlaying position.
8. An article storage device as defined in claim 7 in which said
first and second panels cooperate with said second wall to define a
plurality of article storage compartments.
9. An article storage device receivable over a container having an
exterior wall and an interior wall which is generally circular in
cross section at any point, the walls terminating in an upper rim
portion, said device comprising:
(a) a first downwardly depending, flexible wall of a first length,
said wall having an upper margin and a lower margin and having an
interior surface and an exterior surface, said first wall being
receivable interiorly of the container with said upper margin
thereof in engagement with the upper rim portion of the container;
said first downwardly depending wall being provided with a
plurality of article receiving pockets;
(b) a second wall having an upper margin and a lower margin, said
upper margin of said second wall being connected to said upper
margin of said first wall, said second wall being of a second
length greater than said first length and having an interior
surface and an exterior surface, said lower margin of said second
wall defining an opening, said second wall being receivable over
the upper rim portion of the container so as to circumscribe the
exterior surface of the container, said second wall being provided
with a plurality of article receiving pockets;
(c) closure means for closing said opening to define a top open
article receiving chamber bounded by said interior surface of said
second wall, said closure means comprising a zipper;
(d) first and second spaced-apart connector elements connected to
said second wall; and
(e) an elongated carrying strap releasably interconnected with said
connector elements.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for the storage
and transport of small articles. More particularly, the invention
concerns a novel organizer apparatus which is usable either as a
tote bag or with an empty five gallon container for the
organization and transport of small tools and supplies from one
work site to another.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Many craftsmen use tote bags of various configuration for the
storage and transport of numerous types of supplies, small articles
and small tools. Such tote bags are typically constructed from
canvas or like material and provide a top opening interior
compartment for the receipt and transport of the tools, articles
and supplies. Typically, the prior art tote bags are provided with
a shoulder strap for carrying the bag and also often include
pockets formed on the interior walls of the tote bag for receipt of
small tools and the like. A drawback of the prior art tote bags is
that the interior storage compartments of the bags are of limited
size and are not well adapted for receipt of bulky supplies and
other work articles which need to be routinely transported from
location to location.
To provide means for the transport of small tools and articles as
well as larger and more bulky articles, many workmen use empty
five-gallon buckets for the storage and transport of such articles.
These empty five-gallon plastic containers provide an inexpensive
means for the transport of tools and other more bulky articles from
workplace to workplace. In similar fashion, gardeners often use
empty containers such as five-gallon buckets to store and transport
gardening tools and supplies. While these empty containers function
well to transport a wide variety of small articles, the articles
have a tendency to intermingle proximate the bottom of the bucket
making their retrieval frustrating, time consuming and
difficult.
The storage and transport apparatus of the present invention
provides an elegant solution to the aforementioned problems
experienced in the use of both tote bags and empty five-gallon
containers. More particularly, the novel apparatus of the present
invention can be conveniently used as a
tote bag to transport and store tools and other small articles or
alternatively can be used in connection with empty containers, such
as five-gallon buckets for the orderly storage and transport of
tools and larger more bulky articles.
The apparatus of one form of the present invention comprises an
inner skirt-like wall and a cooperating outer skirt-like wall which
is interconnected with the inner skirt-like wall proximate the
tipper margin thereof. When the apparatus is used in conjunction
with a five-gallon container, the apparatus is draped over the
container so that the inner skirt-like wall depends downwardly
within the interior of the container while the outer skirt-like
wall depends downwardly over the outer surface of the container.
The outer skirt-like wall of the container has a length greater
than the inside skirt-like wall so that the lower margins thereof
can be releasably interconnected by connector means such as a heavy
duty zipper or the like. More particularly, when the apparatus is
used as a tote bag, the connector or closure means are used to
interconnect the lower margins of the outer skirt so as to define
an interior compartment similar to the interior compartment of
prior art tote bags within which tools and small articles can be
placed. Uniquely, both the inner and outer skirt-like walls of the
apparatus are provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced
pockets which are adapted to receive an organize small tools and
various types of articles which are frequently transported from
location to location. With this construction, when the apparatus is
used either as a tote bag or used in connected with an empty
five-gallon container, the various compartments enable the workman
to efficiently organize the small articles and then at time of use
quickly and easily select a particular article from one of the
spaced-apart pockets formed in the organizer apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an article
transport and organizer which can conveniently be used either as a
tote bag for transport and storage of small articles or,
alternatively, can be used in connection with an empty container
such as a five-gallon bucket for the transport and storage of
larger articles as well as for the transport of smaller articles
and tools.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, the
aforementioned character of which includes a removable shoulder
strap that can be used to conveniently transport the apparatus when
it is being used as a tote bag.
Another object of the invention is to provide an article transport
and organizer of the character described which includes inner and
outer skirt-like walls, the exposed surfaces of which are provided
with a plurality of spaced-apart pockets which are adapted to
receive and organize hand tools and other small articles.
Another object of the invention is to provide an article transport
and organizer as described in the preceding paragraph in which
easy-to-operate closure means are provided for interconnecting
together the lower margins of the outer skirt-like walls so as to
convert the apparatus from a bucket organizer into a tote bag.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the
class described which is of simple construction, is durable in use,
and can be inexpensively manufactured.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view of one form of the article
transport and organizer of the present invention shown as a tote
bag.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG.
1.
FIG. 3 is a view taken along FIGS. 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along lines 6--6
of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a generally perspective, exploded view of the apparatus
shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the appearance of the apparatus shown
in FIG. 1 illustrating the appearance of the apparatus when the
shoulder strap is removed and when the closure means for closing
the lower margin of the device in a open position.
FIG. 8 is a generally perspective view of the apparatus shown in
FIG. 7 as it appears when used as a bucket organizer with the
skirt-like portions thereof draped over the upper rim of an empty
container such as a five-gallon plastic paint container.
FIG. 9 is a side-elevational, cross-sectional view of the organizer
as it appears when draped over a container in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6,
one form of the combination tote bag and bucket organizer apparatus
of the invention is there shown. The apparatus as illustrated in
FIGS. 1 through 6 takes the form of a portable tote bag for the
transport and storage of small tools and articles. On the other
hand, the apparatus as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 takes the form
of a bucket organizer which is used in connection with an empty
container such as a five-gallon plastic paint container "C". In a
manner presently to be described, the apparatus can be readily
converted from the first tote bag form shown in FIGS. 1 through 6
to the second bucket organizer form shown in FIGS. 8 through 9 by
simply opening the closure means of the invention, which is here
depicted as a conventional zipper-like mechanism.
Turning particularly to FIGS. 6 and 9, the apparatus can be seen to
comprise a first skirt-like, downwardly depending, flexible wall
14, and a second skirt-like, downwardly depending, flexible wall
16. Walls 14 and 16 have upper marginal portions designated as 14a
and 16a, respectively. In the form of the invention shown in the
drawings, walls 14 and 16 are integrally connected proximate their
tipper marginal portions 14a and 16a, but could be provided as
separate panels which are sewn together or otherwise joined. As
best seen in FIG. 9, wall 14 has a lower marginal portion 14b and
wall 16 has a lower marginal portion 16b. As also depicted in FIG.
9, downwardly depending wall 14 is of a first length, while
downwardly depending wall 16 is of a second, greater length.
When the apparatus of the invention is in its open, bucket
organizer configuration as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, downwardly
depending outside wall 16 terminates in a generally circular shaped
opening 18 and is closely received about the external wall "W" of
the empty container "C". Container "C" is of a conventional
configuration having the external wall "W" and an internal wall "I"
(FIG. 9), which is generally circular in cross section at any
point. Wall "W" terminates in a upper rim portion "R" of the
character shown in FIG. 9.
In order to convert the apparatus from the bucket organizer
configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, into the tote bag
configuration shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, closure means are
provided. These closure means here function to securely close the
generally circular shaped opening 18 formed in exterior walls 16 so
as to define a top open, article-receiving chamber 20 of the
character best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. While the closure means can
take several forms well known to those skilled in the art, the
closure means is here shown as a conventional heavy-duty zipper
mechanism 22 which is provided in two parts 22a and 22b (FIG. 3).
With the construction thus described, when it is desired to convert
the apparatus from the bucket organizer shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 into
the tote bag configuration shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, the
apparatus is removed from the empty container "C", is flattened in
the manner shown in FIG. 7, and the zipper mechanism 22 is operated
to close the bottom, generally circular-shaped opening 16 defined
by the downwardly depending exterior walls of the apparatus. When
the closure means or zipper 22 is closed, the apparatus takes on
the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 through 6 and includes the top
open article receiving chamber 20 which is of the configuration
best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7.
Turning to FIG. 8, it is to be noted that the interior, downwardly
depending wall 14 is provided with a plurality of article-receiving
pockets 24. Pockets 24 are formed by an internal panel 26 which is
interconnected at its lower margin 26a with lower margin 14b of
downwardly depending wall 14 (FIG. 9). Wall 26 is initially spaced
apart from wall 14 so that when panel 26 is interconnected with
wall 14 by a plurality of vertically extending seam lines 30 (FIG.
8), pockets 24 are formed. Seam lines 30 can be formed in a
conventional manner as, for example, by machine sewing techniques
well understood by those skilled in the art.
In similar fashion, second exterior wall 16 is also provided with a
plurality of article receiving pockets 32 and 34 (FIGS. 7 and 8).
Pockets 32 are formed within a first panel 36 which is
interconnected proximate its lower margin with wall 16 in a manner
best seen in FIG. 9. Pockets 34, on the other hand, are formed in a
second panel 38 which is connected as by machine sewing to panel 36
in an overlaying position as shown in FIG. 9. Once again pockets 32
are formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced seam lines 40
which interconnect panel 36 with downwardly depending wall 16 at a
plurality of circumferentially spaced locations. In a similar
manner pockets 34 are defined by a plurality of seam lines 42 which
function to interconnect panel 38 with panel 36 at spaced-apart
locations. Seam lines 40 and 42 are once again made preferably by
machine sewing using techniques well known to those skilled in the
art.
Interconnected with walls 16 at spaced-apart locations, are first
and second connector elements 46 (FIG. 7). Connector elements 46
include a loop-like element 46a which is adapted to receive a
generally hooked shaped, clip-like connector 48 provided at either
end of an elongated adjustable carrier strap 50. Carrying strap 50
is of a conventional construction and includes buckle means 52 of
conventional construction which can be operated to increase or
decrease the overall length of the carrier strap 50 so that the
strap may be used as either a shoulder strap or alternately as a
hand engaging strap for use in transporting the apparatus when it
is in its tote bag configuration. Strap assembly 50 can be removed
from the connector elements 46 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7
by unhooking spring biased connectors 48 from connectors 46a.
When the apparatus of the invention is in its tote bag
configuration shown in FIG. 1, various articles "A" can be emplaced
in chamber 20 and within interior and exterior pockets 24, 32, and
34. When used as a tote bag, strap 50 is preferably interconnected
with the body portion of the tote bag shown in FIG. 1. When so
connected, the tote bag can be used to conveniently transport and
store a number of different types of small articles "A" and a
number of different types of small tools "T" in a manner
illustrated by the phantom lines in the drawings.
When it is desired to convert the apparatus from the tote bag to
the configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, strap 50 is first removed
from the tote bag body illustrated in FIG. 67. This done, zipper
mechanism 22 is operated so as to disconnect the terminal portions
16b of external wall 16 to form the bottom open configuration shown
in FIGS. 8 and 9. With the zipper mechanism open, the apparatus can
be expanded so as to conveniently fit over the empty bucket "B" in
a manner shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. When so interconnected with
container "C", wall 14 depends downwardly into the interior of the
container with wall 14 in close proximity with the inner wall of
the container. Similarly, wall 16 is draped over container rim "R"
and extends downwardly proximate the outer surface of the bucket
wall in the manner best seen in FIG. 9. When the apparatus is in
the bucket organizer configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, interior
pockets 24 can conveniently be used to organize small tools and
various other articles which would otherwise become intermingled in
the bottom of the container. Similarly, small articles and tools
can be emplaced within pockets 32 and 34 which are now on the
exterior wall of the container "C". It is to be understood with the
pocket organizer in place within the container as shown in FIGS. 8
and 9, the internal chamber of the container is open in the manner
shown in FIG. 9 to receive a number of other types of articles and
supplies that are to be transported from work station to work
station.
Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the
requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will
have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the
individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet
specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modification
may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention as set forth in the claims.
* * * * *